You thought 2014 was a good year for Hollywood? 2015 could be even better

2014 gave us hits in bulk (read Guardians of the Galaxy, Gone Girl, Interstellar and several others) and 2015 promises a lot too. From Fifty Shades of Grey to Minions via The Avengers and Pitch Perfect 2, we pick ten blockbusters-in-waiting as we head into the new year.

From Fifty Shades of Grey to Minions via The Avengers and Pitch Perfect 2, we pick ten blockbusters-in-waiting as we head into the new year.

Fifty Shades of Grey

International: Week of February 13A troubled casting process allowed Jamie Dornan, who co-stars with Gillian Anderson in BBC procedural The Fall, to take up position opposite Dakota Johnson (The Social Network) as the attractive business magnate and troubled control freak central to proceedings. Sam Taylor-Johnson of the very well-received John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy and short film Love You More directs this well-anticipated adaptation of E.L. James's highly charged erotic literature sensation.Cinderella

Most international releases coincide with March 13 US debut or come the following weekKenneth Brannagh, once known for his Shakesperean forte, now turns to fairytale, having familiarized himself with big budget, mainstream success courtesy of Marvel's 2011 hit Thor. Lily James stars as Ella, surrounded by a host of talented actors and actresses in Disney's latest retelling: Helen Bonham Carter, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Chaplin, Derek Jacobi plus Game of Thrones hearthrob Richard Madden as charming prince Kit.The Divergent Series: Insurgent

International: week of March 20Is there room for more than one female-led young adult fiction adaptation in the year? 2014's Divergent says yes, with Shailene Woodley having led the first of Veronica Roth's trilogy as Tris and returning to hunt for the truth with comrade Four (Theo James). The trilogy closer will, like The Hunger Games, be a two parter, arriving in March of 2016 and 2017.Furious 7

International: from the week of April 3Jason Statham gets in on the action as the Fast & Furious crew's latest opponent. High speed thrills and spills return to US soil as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his allies seek to safeguard their lives and livelihoods. The film is set to be as much a celebration of the series as it is a tribute to actor Paul Walker, who died shortly after filming started, but whose place in the film was kept as the script, CGI effects and body doubles were worked around his absence.Avengers: Age of Ultron

International: week of May 1 (week of April 22 in some European territories)The ensemble reunites, physically if not in spirit, as Marvel's superhero alliance is swiftly and perhaps irrevocably fragmented as a result of internal pressures and the insertion of a malevolent AI, Ultron. Cue soul-searching and spectacular action sequences as Iron Man (Rober Downey, Jr.) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) attempt to save the world once more.Mad Max: Fury Road

International: week of May 15 (Brazil from May 22)The franchise is resurrected at the hands of original director George Miller nearly 30 years after Beyond Thunderdome, and with the increasingly visible Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Locke) replacing Mel Gibson as the title character, an apocalypse survivor wandering the wastelands. He's joined by the likes of Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, ex-wrestler Nathan Jones and eclectic musician iOTA in Warner Bros' $150m picture.Pitch Perfect 2

International: week of May 15 (Australia May 7, some European territories May 29)Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and friends flex their vocal chords and comedy muscles in the follow-up to 2012's acclaimed predecessor; having won a national a cappella singing competition, Barden University's reformed Bellas troupe enters an international competition against all odds.Paper Towns

US, June 5; UK, July 3; Singapore, July 30; France, Aug 19; full schedule to be announcedThe second year in a row for a John Green adaptation after 2014's breakout teen romance The Fault in Our Stars. Nat Wolff returns, this time as lead character Quentin Jacobsen, who is under the spell of the enigmatic and anarchic Margo (Cara Delevigne, Anna Karenina). The same team behind The Fault in Our Stars was in charge of adapting Paper Towns, while Sundance award winner Jake Schreier directs for The Fault in Our Stars production co Temple Hill and its distributor 20th Century Fox. All that's missing is a unified worldwide release schedule.Jurassic World

International: Week of June 12Chris Pratt of The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy continues his blockbuster form with the part of dinosaur park ranger Owen, while the rest of the cast is a traditional mix of character actors and popular faces. BD Wong provides continuity as genetic scientist Henry Wu as overambitious corporate interests provide yet more human-dinosaur interactions.Minions

International: week of July 10. Some territories, especially European, over the preceeding fortnightThe trouble-seeking, curious yellow beings from the Despicable Me films are in a spot of bother -- there's no one suitably evil to serve -- and so it's off to New York, and then London, for an intrepid (and hapless) trio. Such is the power of the minion masses that, with half a year until release, their self-titled feature debut is utterly lacking any major studio competition on its scheduled debut.

Ant-Man

International: week of July 17 in many territoriesThe comedy pedigree of lead actor Paul Rudd and director Peyton Reed suggest that this size-changing adventure in technology could be a lighter addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, upon the understanding that the title character's wouldn't be credited with the creation of Avengers foe Ultron, just as Guardians of the Galaxy offered a tonal shift from the more somber implications of previous earth-based films.Pan

International: week of July 17 (US: July 24)Joe Wright of Anna Karenina, and previously attached to the Ant-Man project, here directs newcomer Levi Miller as a younger version of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, with Garrett Hedlund as his emerging rival Hook, Amanda Seyfried as Mary, and Rooney Mara as the princess Tiger Lily.Pixels

International: week of July 24 (UK & France, week of August 14)If there's any certainty in US cinematic comedy, it's that Adam Sandler knows how to make bank. Inspired by 2010's 2-minute short from Frenchman Patrick Jean, Pixels has Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, and Peter Dinklage tasked with defending the world from an invading force modeled after early arcade game characters.The Fantastic Four

International: week of August 7Four youthful actors take on the Fantastic Four mantle, with director Josh Trank looking to build on the momentum behind debut Chronicle and 20th Century Fox seeing sequel potential in 2017. The exciting quartet of Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell star, with Toby Kebbell filling the shiny shoes of archvillain Doom.The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials

Still from The Maze Runner

International: week of September 18 (some European countries the following week)Having escaped the labyrinth of 2014's $340m hit, Thomas and co are plunged into a second grand experiment, determined to overthrow their masters and find a cure for humanity's remnant. The second adaptation in James Dashner's series of futuristic dystopian survival adventures, though in contrast to Insurgent and The Hunger Games the franchise places males in most of its principal roles.The Jungle Book

USA, SEA, Northern Europe: week of October 9UK, Netherlands: week of October 16Oceania: April 7The first of two major studio reworkings of the Rudyard Kipling stories, this Disney proposal favors a live action interpretation with Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau at the helm, newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli, and a host of Hollywood names in support including Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o and Scarlett Johansson.Jem and the Holograms

North America: October 23Mining the resurgent fandom that surrounds a 1980s cartoon series of the same name, Jem updates the original formula for this online age, with the title character (Aubrey Peeples, Nashville) becoming an online pop star while trying to unravel personal mysteries with her friends and bandmates. Jon M. Chu of two Step Up films and two Justin Bieber documentaries directs. Canny use of social media ensures a worldwide fanbase once the finished film hits.Spectre

International: November 6 (UK from October 23)Sam Mendes's second crack at the James Bond franchise after "Skyfall" and marking Daniel Craig's tenth year as the British superspy, delving into a sinister organization that threatens the global balance of power and comes up against a new archvillain in Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz). Also featuring appearances from Lea Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

International: week of November 20The latest two-part finale after those of the Harry Potter and Twilight film franchises set something of an industry standard sees Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) take her place as leader of the resistance ready to overthrow a cruel empire. "Part 1" might have received the lowest box office bank of the series so far, but it still stands on a mighty $670m following its November 2014 release, boding well for the concluding segment upon its arrival late in 2015.The Hateful Eight

December 2015Quentin Tarantino returns to the Western genre and looks to maximize the potential of a stellar cast and early interest in the project when interest intensified in January of 2014. QT favorites Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern are joined by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kurt Russell in a tale of bounties, fugitives, crossed paths and a fateful stopover in Wyoming county.Star Wars: The Force Awakens

International: week of December 18Iconic characters Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia return to hand over the baton to a new generation at the hands of director J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, with John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac in prominent roles in the first entry to a new trilogy, with standalone spinoffs to dovetail with scheduling plans.